While most of the Kenyan sports personalities renounce their citizenship for financial reasons, there are a number of them who renounce the citizenship for competing opportunities.
Teamkenya.co.ke has compiled a list of Kenyan Sports personalities “exported” to various nations across the globe.
Divock Origi
He is the son to legendary Kenyan footballer, Mike Okoth. Origi was born on April 18, 1995, in Belgium, and currently plays for Liverpool FC. The talented striker opted to play for the Belgium national team instead of his father’s country - Kenya.
Unlike his father, who featured for Harambee Stars as he flourished in Belgium for over a decade playing for KV Ostende, Harelbeke, and Racing Genk in the Jupiler League, Origi decided to represent the country of his birth.
The 25-year-old Liverpool striker was born in Ostend and grew up in Houthalen-Oost, representing the Belgium national team at the Under-15, under-16, Under-17, Under-19, and Under-21 levels, before making his senior team debut at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
He turned down several attempts by Kenyan football authorities to have him feature for Harambee Stars.
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Speaking in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, he said: “Belgium invested in me as I developed through the ranks. Besides, there are more opportunities career-wise available to me playing for Belgium.”
His father stated that it was his decision and he cannot be coerced to play for Kenya.
“It was his decision, he had to choose what he wanted. He decided to choose Belgium over Kenya and I support him in what he did. It is where he feels comfortable and grew up his whole life. It is what he thought was best,” his father, Mike Okoth, stated in a past interview.
Origi has been instrumental for Liverpool, helping the team end a 30-year Premier League drought.
Olsson brothers
Martin Tony Waikwa Olsson, who plays in a left-back position, while his twin brother, Marcus Munuhe Olsson, plays as a left-back and a midfielder, are the other notable footballers of Kenyan descent.
Martin, who currently plays his professional club football at Swedish top tier side Helsingborgs IF, was born to a Kenyan mother Maggie Waikwa (now deceased), and a Swedish father in Gävle, Sweden on May 18, 1988, a day after his elder brother Marcus was born.
Before his move to The Swans, Martin played for Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, and Swedish lower-tier side Högaborgs BK. The footballing twin brothers have already represented Swedish national teams.
“I am very proud of my heritage, my mother passed away a few years ago but we were brought up in that culture and I am proud of being Swedish and being Kenyan,” Martin told Wales Online in 2018.
Stephen Cherono
Stephen Cherono was a Kenyan athlete until the age of 20 when he received a lucrative deal from Qatar in 2003. Kenya lost a star who had recorded the world's fastest time in both the steeplechase and the 5,000m races.
Cherono was one of ten siblings - six boys and four girls, born in a family of farmers all of whom lived in Iten, Elgeyo-Marakwet County.
He was the 1999 World Youth Champion in the steeplechase and set a world junior record in 2001. He won the steeplechase at the 2002 Commonwealth Games for Kenya before being offered a lucrative deal that would see him earn a monthly stipend of Ksh112,300 for life just for him to become a Qatari athlete.
He accepted the deal, even changed his name to Saif Saeed Shaheen. He has since ended up winning several races and putting Qatar on the map.
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Bernard Lagat
Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat was born on December 21, 1974, in Kapsabet, Kenya, and had a successful career before he decided to acquire US citizenship. He represented the country between 2000-2004.
His first outing was during the 2000 summer Olympics in Sydney Australia. That year, Lagat was ranked top three in the world in the 1500m race.
He is the American record holder in the 1500m and mile run indoors, as well as the 1500m, 3000m, and 5000m outdoors, and is the Kenyan record holder for 1500m outdoors. Lagat is the second-fastest 1500m runner of all time, behind Hicham El Guerrouj.
Joan Chelimo, Stella Ruto and Delvine Meringor
Unlike most of the Kenyan sports personalities who opt to play for other countries for money, the three Kenyan athletes secured citizenship in Romania in a bid to get more competing opportunities in global events. The three switched their citizenship in 2021 after failing to secure slots to represent Kenya in the Olympics.
"I hope to make Romania proud by winning medals in the Olympic Games, the World Championships, and in future events," Chelimo said after switching her citizenship.